West Meets East at Bacardi Bar Shift | Partner Tip

Posted on Oct 02, 2015

Forget East Coast–West Coast rivalry: It was all smiles over cocktails at Upper East Side bar Seamstress on Monday, September 21, when Vince Toscano of San Francisco’s Rye shook signature Bacardí cocktails alongside friend and host Pam Wiznitzer for the final installment of Bar Shift.

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Check out the evening’s highlight reel below, where you can watch the dynamic duo crank out cocktails, find out what New York store Wiznitzer calls a “bartender’s mecca” and learn to make Toscano’s creation, called A Famous Captain, a cocktail with Bacardí Gran Reserva Maestro de Ron, cinnamon syrup, lime and pineapple juices, and sweet vermouth.

The story of Toscano’s start in bartending is a straightforward one. As he tells it, he moved to San Francisco for college and worked in a restaurant after graduation. From there, Toscano found his way to Rye by working as a bar back, and it was this experience that made him fall in love with the industry. While working his way up the ranks at Rye, he says he was “broken down and built back up” by his bar mentor Jennifer Ackrill, an experience that made him a better bartender.

During his uptown Bar Shift, Toscano served the crowd drinks influenced by his travels. One of his signature hits was A Famous Captain, an ode to Miami’s Broken Shaker.

Toscano’s round of cocktails also included the Privateer’s Revenge, made with Bacardí 8 Años Rum, Amaro Montenegro, dry vermouth, Bénédictine and Peychaud’s bitters, all inspired by a trip to New Orleans. Bar Shift guests also fell hard for Toscano’s #FATE, which stands for “From Angel to Ellis.” The tempting blend of Bacardí 8 Años Rum, Cynar, Angostura and orange bitters is named for islands near each city, and is symbolic of Toscano’s love of both New York and San Francisco.

Want the full scoop? Watch Toscano’s Bar Shift video below and go behind-the-scenes with one of the country’s brightest bar stars. You can also browse videos from previous Bar Shift events, from Miami to Chicago to Mexico City, to get a look at this extraordinary exchange program.